I find delight each day in the things that happen at Robert C. Parker School. I hope to share a little of the fun!

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Community, passion, involvement: Preparing kids for Yale

What is a community to which you belong? Reflect on the footprint that you have left.

Reflect on a time in the last few years when you felt genuine excitement learning about something.

Write about something that you love to do.

These are essay questions on Yale University's freshman admission application. According to author Amy Wang in Quartz, more than anything else, colleges are looking for passion and civic engagement.

When developing these traits, it pays to start early - and Pre K isn't too early! The habits of engagement and community that lead to passion can't really be authentic if they don't start until a student's junior year in high school.

Exploring the world in ways that lead to purposeful action is something that teachers intentionally build into the curriculum at Parker. When our kids are filling out their Yale applications, they won't have to stretch to answer these questions or come up with a canned response. They will have plenty of material to draw upon because they will have been living it and feeling it for years.

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About Me

I was Head of Robert C. Parker School from July 2003 to June 2017. I love walking the halls at school and watching the kaleidoscope of activities and the happiness and fun of the students and teachers. Parker's woods and meadows bring beauty into our lives each day. It is a great community - everyone pulling together to make a difference for children!

Robert C. Parker School Mission

Robert C. Parker School engages each student in a thoughtful and challenging learning process that inspires curiosity and a passion to achieve, nurtures confidence and community, and cultivates purposeful action.

Robert C. Parker School Motto

In caring for our world, our community, and ourselves, we reach out to others with kindness, speak and act with respect, strive for understanding of differences, and share our time, our talents, and our energy.